Seal



Nov. 27, 1934. F. KEDEL 1,982,438

SEAL

Filed July 26, 1934 INVENTOR ATTORN EYS Patented Nov. 27, 1934 PATENT OFFICE SEAL Frank Keidel, Elmhurst, N. Y., assigner to The i International Seal and Knot Protector Co., New York, N. Y., a. corporation of New York n Application July 26, 1934, Serial No. 737,037

3 Claims.

This invention may be'utilized in devices which when attached or secured to some member cannot be removed without mutilation, and which may be used for sealing, identifying, tagging or the like.

My improved device includes a exible textile member such as a string, cord, tape or the like, which may be threaded through, secured to or otherwise ailixed to some part or article to be ,sealed or tagged. Threaded on to said textile member is a pair of seal sections which may be telescope-d together in such a manner that they cannot be separated without. mutilation and between which knots or other obstructions on the ends `of the flexible connecting member will be concealed and rendered inaccessible.

As an important featurev of my invention, these seal sections each have an end Wall, and said end walls are each so formed as to facilitate the threading of the flexible member therethrough in one direction and insure against the removal when pulling in the opposite direction.

More specifically I form the end wall of each seal section concave or funnel-shaped leading to a central aperture to facilitate ythe insertion of the flexible member from the outside and to form inwardly projecting portions around said aperture to bite into a knot on the end of the flexible member when one attempts to pull said member out. Thus the ends of the tape or the like can be respectively attached to both telescoping members before said members are interlocked, so that the tape and the two seal members may be sold or prepared for use as a unit ready to be snapped into sealing position.

In the accompanying drawing, there is shown for the purpose of illustration, one embodiment of my invention.

In the drawing:-

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a completed seal ment of the tape ends thereto, the tape being shown dotted to show its position when attached to the members, and

Fig. 3 is a vertical section showing the parts of the seal interlocked.

In the construction illustrated, the seal includes two cup-shaped members 10 and 11 which, when telescoped, will automatically interlock to form` a sealing chamber for the tape ends. The member l0 has an end wall 12, a cylindrical peripheral Wall 13, and an inwardly and backwardly ex- (Cl. Zim- 325) ltending flange or lip 14 at the free edge of the peripheral wall. The other member 11 is made up of two sections permanently connected together. One section has an end Wall 15 and a cylindrical peripheral wall 16 adapted to receive GQ and snugly fit the peripheral wall 13 of the mem-A ber 10. The other section has an end wall 17 projecting through an aperture in the endwall 15, and ianged over to permanently connect the sections together. This section also has a cylin- .drical Wall 19 which is vadapted to project freely and centrally through the flange or lip 14, and which has the free end thereof terminating in a plurality of spring ngers 20extending outwardly and backwardly towards the end wall 15.

All of the sections of the seal are formed of stamped, spun or otherwise fashioned sheet metal, the character and gauge of which is dependent upon the use for which the completed device is designed. l

Upon forcing the two members 10 and 11 together, the spring lingers 20 are bent inwardly as they travel past the flange 14, and then snapped' outwardly to the position shown in Fig. 3 between the edge of the iiange 14v and the periph-V eral Wall 13, to prevent the separation of the two members.

As an important feature of the present invention, the end wall of each member 10 and 11 is concave, conical or slightly funnel-shaped, and at the center has an aperture 22 bounded by a comparatively .narrow annular ange or series of prongs 23 which extend inwardly into the interior of said members, and which present a jagged edge or a series of projecting teeth. This ange 23 advantageously tapers slightly towards its jagged edge, and the funnel or inclined character of the end wall and this taper serves to facilitate the guiding of the end of a tape 24 to and the threading of it through the aperture 22 into the interior of the corresponding seal member. The ends of the tape 24are knotted after being passed `through the apertures 22, the knots being formed larger than the apertures. The knots are impaled upon the teeth ofthe jagged edges of the flanges 23 when the tape is pulled away from the interlocking members 10 and 11 so that the withdrawal vof said tape from said members is prevented.

The apertures 22 with their enclosing or bounding anges 23 are easily and effectively formed by using a punch which has no cutting or shearing edge, but which is formed with tapering sides so that the material of the aperture is lire swaged to form the flange 23, and irregularly broken to form the jagged edges of the iiange.

The dishing of the end Wall surrounding these apertures and the punching of the apertures may be done at the same time by a suitably formed combined die and punch.

`I have used the word tape in a suiciently broad sense to include a cord, ribbon, string or other such iiexible member which may be readily knotted and easily cut. The seal sections are of the very minimum size to receive the knots, so that the device when applied to a garment for identication purposes is comparatively inconspicuous. The tape may be very easily cut or broken to remove the device, but when once cut or broken it cannot be used again without evi dence of the mutilation being readily apparent. The height or length of the seal sections is preferably small in comparison to the diameter so that the entire seal is relatively thin. A comparatively small piece of tape has its ends threaded into the seal sections and knotted as described so that the two sections and the connecting tape form a unit. The only operation then necessary for the user to complete the seal is to pass the tape through the member to be sealed and to snap the two seal sections together. The user does not have to thread the tape or knot it at the instant of use since the unit, as described, is previously prepared ready for use. The tape may be suiiciently wide to permit the printing thereon of a date, the name of the establishment that applies or uses these seals, or any other data desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-r

,1. A seal including a pair of telescoping members, each having a cylindrical peripheral wall, and an end wall, a plurality of spring ngers lconnected to one of said members, and an inturnedange at the free end of the peripheral Wall of the other member adapted to interengage with said spring iingers to prevent separation of said members, the end Wall of each member being provided funnel-shaped with a central aperture through which a tape may extend, and an annular flange bounding each of said apertures, extending inwardly in the interior of each of said members, and presenting a jagged edge, whereby the threading of the opposite ends of said tape into the interior of said members through said apertures is rendered comparatively easy, while the jagged edges of said last mentioned flanges bite into knots on the ends of said tape when said tape is pulled away from said members to thereby prevent withdrawal of said tape.

2. A seal including a pair of telescoping members, each having an end wall and a cylindrical peripheral Wall, means for automatically interlocking said members when they are snapped into` telescoped position, each of said members having an aperture in the end wall thereof for receiving the end of a string, and an annular ange bounding said aperture, extending inwardly in said member, and presenting a jagged edge, whereby the threading of the end of a tape through said apertures is facilitated, while the withdrawal of said tape end is prevented by the biting of the jagged edge into the tape end.

3. A seal including a pair of telescoping members, each having an end wall and a cylindrical peripheral wall, one of said members having a series of spring iingers, While the other member at the free edge of the peripheral wall thereof is provided with an inwardly turned flange to interengage with said spring fingers and prevent separation of said members, the end wall of each of said members being provided with an aperture, an annular iiange. bounding each of said apertures, extending inwardly into the interior of 

